Towel holder



July 1, 1941. E, R. ERICKSON 2,241,437

TOWEL HOLDER Filed Oct. 16, 1939 INVENTOR.

Z 52653135 rte/90m BY v ii- ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 1, 1941 T QFFEQE TOWEL HOLDER Ernest R. Erickson,

E. Erickson Moines, Iowa,

Des Moines, Iowa, assignor to Company, Incorporated, Des a corporation of Iowa Application October 1t, 1939, Serial No. 299,741

6 Claims.

My present invention relates to a holder for towels and the like which can be economically formed of sheet metal and can be sold as an advertising novelty.

One object of the invention is to provide a holder of this character adapted for supporting towels or any piece of cloth or soft material with respect to a wall, the device being so designed that it is easily operated to effect a positive gripping of the article by clutch plates of the device which are actuated by gravity, once the article is inserted between them.

A further object is to provide a holder of this character comprising a single base plate and a pair of pivotally mounted clutch plates, all of which can be formed of sheet metal, the clutch plates being so designed and related to each other that an article inserted between them, when released, will cause the clutch plates to grip the article as it shifts downwardly by gravity.

Still another object is to provide clutch plates with a novel and inexpensive means to synchronize them and thus insure proper operation in their gripping capacity.

With these and other objects in View, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various par-ts of my device whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure .1 is a perspective View of my holder for towels and the like, and showing a towel held therein;

Figure 2 is an enlarged front elevation of Figure 1 showing the clutch plates closed;

Figure 3 is a similar View of the device showing the clutch plates raised for opening them as when an article is being inserted upwardly between them;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional View on the line 4=4 of Figure 2, and

Figure 5 is a perspective View of the clutch plates as viewed from the rear.

On the accompanying drawing, I have used the reference character B to indicate generally a base plate and C and C the clutch plates of my device. The base B has an upper part ID and a lower guard part l2. The pants in and I2 are separated by a ledge I3 and the part i2 has an enclosing flange I4 around its edge. The base plate B is adapted to be secured to a wall W or the like by screws I5 inserted through openings l6 and IT in the upper part It and the guard part l2, respectively.

The ledge 13 adjacent its ends is made somewhat wi-der, as indicated at t8. The portions I3 may be considered as extensions gandterminate in upwardly directed perforated ears 19. The perforations are indicated at 20.

In the upper part ll! of the base plate B, corresponding perforations 2| are provided.

The clutch plates C and C are provided with pin tles 23 for pivoting in the perforations 20 and 2| as shown in the drawing. The clutch plates have downwardly extending flangelike extensions 24 and 25, respectively, passing through a slot 26 formed by bending a tongue portion 27 of the ledge 13 upwardly, as shown in Figure 4. Under the ledge and behind the guard l2, the flanges 24 and 2 5 are provided with a projection and slot means of coaction. The projection is indicated at 28 and is T headed in shape. The slot indicated at 29, it will be noted, is arcuate. The parts 28 and 29 coast with each other, as shown by dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 4, to synchronize movement of the clutch plates C and C".

Practical operation When it is desirable to insert an article, such as a towel T, into my holder it is merely necessary to place it against the under surfaces of the adjacent edges of the clutch plates C and C in Figure 4 and lift upwardly, while at the same time pushing inwardly; toward the base plate B. This will easily open the clutch plates at 28 and 29 effectively synchronize the movement of the clutch plates in a simple manner. Any possibility of the towel getting into the working parts is obviated by the guard 52 which covers the slot and projection meansof coaction t t-29 at all positions or its operation.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, I have described the principle of operaand that the invention may be carried out by other means within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A holder for towels and the like comprising a support, a pair of clutch members pivoted projections and said projection and slot means.

2. A holder of the class disclosed comprising a base plate, a pair of pivoted clutch plates thereon with their pivots spaced from each other and their free ends engageable with each other between the pivots, means to synchronize the pivotal movement of said clutch plates, said means comprising downwardly projecting flanges from the edges of said clutch plates having coacting projection and slot means providing coaction between said downward projections, said base plate having a guard portion covering said downward projection and said projection and slot means.

3. A holder for towels and the like comprising a sheet metal base plate adapted for mounting on a wall or the like, a pair of forward projections therefrom terminating in upstanding perforated "ears, a pair of clutch plates having pintles pivotally mounted in said perforated ears and. a

in corresponding perforations in said base plate, said clutch plates extending toward each other and adapted to have their free edges engage with each other between said perforated ears,

said clutch plates having downwardly extending :2;

flanges adjacent said base plate provided with coacting projection and slot means affording synchronization of the movement of said clutch plates, and a guard for said flanges formed on said base plate. a

4. In a holder, a sheet metal base plate having a pair of forward projections therefrom terminating in upstanding perforated ears and an extension between said ears forming a guard, a

pair of clutch members having pintles pivotally mounted in said perforated ears and in registering perforations in said base plate, said clutch members extending toward each other and adapted to have their free edges engage with each other between said perforated ears at a point spaced above a line between the perforations thereof, said clutch plates having downwardly extending flanges adjacent said base plate provided with coacting means to synchronize their movement and said guard covering said flanges and said means.

5. In a holder, a sheet metal base plate, a pair of forward projections therefrom terminating in upstanding perforated ears, a pair of clutch plates having pintles pivotally mounted in said perforated ears and in corresponding perforations in said base plate, said clutch plates extending toward each other and adapted to have their free edges engage with each other between said perforated ears, said clutch plates having downwardly extending flanges provided with coacting means affording synchronization of the movement thereof, and a guard for said projections, said guard comprising an offset portion of said base plate spaced from the plane of the back of the plate, said offset portion having an enclosing flange along its edge and the offset having an opening therethrough through which said flanges extend, r r

6. A holder for towels and the like comprising a base adapted for fitting on a wall or the like, a pair of clutch members pivotally mounted thereon and extending toward each other so that their free edges are adapted to engage with each other, saidtclutch members having downwardly extending projections provided with coacting means affording synchronization of their movement, and a guard for said projections, said guard comprising an ofl'set portion of said base spaced from the wall surface, said offset portion having an opening therethrough through which said projections extend.

ERNEST R. ERICKSON. 

